Subsidiary Power in Multinational Corporations: The Subtle Role of Micro-Political Bargaining Power

Christoph Dörrenbächer, Jens Gammelgaard

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    Purpose – As subsidiary power has received relatively little attention in existing research, this paper aims to enhance the understanding of genuine sources of subsidiary power and how they work in headquarters-subsidiary relationships.

    Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a review of the relevant literature and four illustrative case studies, which are written on the basis of secondary sources. Each case was selected because it adequately represents a particular type of power. This allows for cross-case comparisons of the strengths and sustainability of different types of power, and facilitates the exploration of the application of subsidiary power in headquarters-subsidiary relationships.

    Findings – Four genuine types of subsidiary power are identified. One of these – micro-political bargaining power – plays a subtle but crucial role, as it is important in the enactment of the three other types of power, i.e. systemic, resource-dependency, and institutional.

    Practical implications – As headquarters have unlimited access to formal power, subsidiaries find it necessary to constantly apply micro-political bargaining power. The empirical material suggests that the effectiveness of micro-political bargaining power for subsidiary actors is based on two factors: information retrieval from headquarters and the leveraging of such information in issue-selling or conflict-handling processes.

    Originality/value – The paper contributes by theoretically delineating genuine types of subsidiary power and by illustrating the strength, sustainability and interaction of these types of power in headquarters-subsidiary relationships.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalCritical Perspectives on International Business
    Volume7
    Issue number1
    Pages (from-to)30 - 47
    ISSN1742-2043
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2011

    Keywords

    • Subsidiaries
    • Intergroup Relations
    • Politics

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